Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
People are conquered by their cravings, and, lost in attachment to family,
they forget the Name; they waste this human life and lose the game in the gamble.
Serving the true Guru is the best occupation.
When people get so caught up in what they want that they forget the Name, they gamble away a precious life.
The words of this verse come from an old way of speaking. It was addressed to men who had left home to live as holy wanderers. It says men are "conquered by woman." But the teaching behind it is for everyone. It is about craving and clinging.
Putar kaltar lag naam visaaree — tied up in children and family, they forget the Name. Birthaa janam gavaa-i-aa baajee haaree — they waste this human life and lose the game.
The Gurus in other places praise family life and honor women. So the point is not that family is bad. The point is that any clinging, without the Name to balance it, wastes a precious life. Think of a game where you spend all your turns on side quests and never reach the goal.
The fix is simple. Satgur sayvay karnee saaree — serving the True Guru is the best work of all.
What attachments, even good ones, can crowd out what matters most if you forget the One?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI